5) Draft Group Précis

WE CAN ALL TRY AND HASH OUT A FINAL PRECIS.
REMEMBER TO POST COMMENTS TO SHOW OUR DISCUSSIONS AND FEEDBACK DURING THIS PROCESS.

Here is what I have come up so far (mmc)
From D2L, the précis organization is:
1) overview of key claims in the chapter
2) what the chapter does and does not do well.
3) The extent to which the chapter connects to authentic teaching practices.
4) Points easily ageed among group members and those outstanding as points of difference. This is something inferred but not explicitly stated in the sample précis (Note the use of 'I" and "we" in its text). A and A+ precis will explicitly note points of consensus and difference.
5) A question raised about (a) one or more claims made in the chapter or (b) a question the chapter inspires.


Group 4: Carr-Chellman, A. (2010). Instructional design for teachers: Improving classroom practice: Chapter 7
How can we integrate standards-based curriculum into the ID4T model?
This chapter describes standards-based curriculum (SBC). Although the shift towards SBC has been largely motivated by politics rather than research it is possible to integrate SBC into the ID4T model where it can assist teachers in setting goals, implementation of the programs, developing and analyzing their assessment methods, and making revisions where necessary. The primary components of SBC include a carefully prescribed content, specific thresholds established for proficient performance at all grade levels, mandated and approved tests, expectations linked to performance, obligatory checks on all students’ expectations and standards for which the outcomes are determined, but the means to get there are left open. (It might make sense to convert the above two sentences into bulleted-lists, since that's what they really are.)
The chapter more positively discusses SBC as including the integration of communities, administration and teachers as a part of standard determination. SBC is put forward as a way of identifying and setting standards or goals and expectations beforehand to facilitate transparency between the educators and learners. SBC allows teachers to focus and organize their curriculum and instruction to help all students meet standards with pre-identified resources. These actions promote accountability and some level of order that allows time to focus on other issues. Conversely, the chapter also states that standards-based learning (SBL) does not align with the student-oriented innovations of constructivism, user-design, or inquiry-based learning. that it is much more politically motivated rather than what is thought to be the best for learning and learners through by research; how SBC's credibility of standards development is questioned when it is a politically popular movement. It may restrict teachers in their work where the standards and the tests have further disempowered teachers and local communities. It also forces the power of local school districts are left to chart their own course.
Three primary themes include:
1) Initiative: Standards-based learning is motivated by politics rather than research; the standards movement was politically driven and not what is thought to be the best for learning and learners
2) Development: Standards are often very broad and unclear, forcing educators to teach to the test, however but where standards does facilitate the zeroing in on areas of strengths and weaknesses
3) Limitation: SBC may restrict teachers’ work as there is limited time per class, and teachers must meet the standards. Implementation requires the teacher to be innovative and provide appropriate material to ensure the learners reach the set standards. Educators should expect to supplement standardized materials and assessments.
We agree there are challenges and benefits to implementing SBC:
- there are benefits of having common educational goals, but standardized testing does impose limits on educators
- high stake tests are not authentic and teachers can become forced to teach-to-the-test,
- teachers must prepare for the final test authentically, add supplemental materials and assessments in preparation

- educators have limited time and resources, thus there are concerns about the practicality of actually implementing it. There may be additional work for students if they are expected to take standardized assessments as well as supplemental assessments.It may be difficult, in particular for new teachers, to incorporate informal or embedded assessments within normal classroom activities

(We should also include some things we didn`t agree on.)
-The one thing we disagreed on, like any group that gets involved in a discussion on SBC, is whether it is restricting for teachers and learners or if it`s an opportunity that holds teachers accountable for individual learner success.

Despite some of these challenges there have been many cases of success with standards based learning. Yager (2005) presents 15 case studies of successful standards based instruction and learning in grade 9-12 science classes. He concludes by offering several areas for further development including more emphasis on teaching standards, professional development standards, assessment standards, and content and inquiry standards.
Competency-based medical education has developed along these lines of SBC where the learning and teaching processes create a culture of all stakeholders in quality management activities at all levels and functions. Medical schools are adopting innovative strategies that engage all stakeholders to strive for excellence on a continuous basis and use quality control to support such strategies.
Question: Something along these lines?
Can trying to make every area equal for all be all that bad? The studies on making things equal on the basis of race, ethnicity, culture, language, social class, gender and disabilities have boomed.
Are students not assessed on pre-approved learning goals regardless if it was SBC or not?

Updated 2014-02-23, 6pm


Updated 2014-02-24, 12:30pm